Week 15 - Reflections

Looking back on this class, I would say that the primary thing that I can take away or say that I learned is that I actually enjoy a little bit of creative writing. Before the class started all I knew is that there would for sure be some reading and learning about Indian literature. I wasn't quite aware of the amount of writing, especially creative writing, that would take place. I have very much enjoyed the writing that I have done and the storytelling posts were definitely the thing that I looked forward to doing every week. The writing helped me learn more about myself as well as helped me realize that I enjoy it. For anyone that has enjoyed some of my writing: thanks for reading!

Week 14 - Reading Diary B

This diary is covering the second half of the Ramayan 3392 AD, Volume 3 graphic novel.

Ramayana 3392 AD, Volume 3

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The second half of this graphic novel starts out with the rebel force being ambushed by the forces of Baali the Monster. They were sent out to capture Angad, the son of Baali. They successfully fight back the great strength of Rama and his group and end up capturing Angad.

Rama and his group of rebels make a plan with Shugreave, Baali's brother, to somehow sneak into Kishkindha and rescue Angad. They plan to do this by flying an ancient aircraft through the cover of the clouds into Kishkindha. In doing so their aircraft becomes damaged and they crash land in Kishkindha.

After landing in Kishkindha, the group talks Baali into a "Fight of the Champions" to determine the fate of the rebels and of the future of Kishkindha. Rama, Lakshman, and Viv-Shan fight against the thanes of Baali which end up in a tie. This is where the third volume leaves off.

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this graphic novel. Like I have stated before, the illustrations are much more detailed and colorful compared to the first volume. I really like how the author and illustrator include the "ancient" aircraft technology; the illustration looks makes it look like a World War II era fighter aircraft. I look forward to completing the storytelling from this graphic novel.

Week 14 - Reading Diary A

This week I will be reading Ramayan 3392 AD, Volume 3. I enjoyed reading the first two novels very much so I decided to get the third volume.

Ramayana 3392 AD, Volume 3
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The first half of this graphic novel starts off with explaining the history of Baali the Magnificent and how he ended up becoming Baali the monster. He was a great ruler of Kishkindha and waged war against the Asuras. He even fought against Asura Prime himself. He held his ground but eventually fell Asura Primes otherworldly powers. The story picks up where Rama and Lakshman have joined a nephew of Baali the Monster. He escaped the wrath of Baali and decided to recruit some of the best mercenaries in order to fight his uncle. While traveling through the jungle the group is ambushed by a group of genetically mutated beasts and begin fighting.

One of the things that I really like about this graphic novel so far is the improved detail of illustrations compared to volume 1. Volume 2 also showed, in my opinion, more detailed illustrations. The colors and the detail are great. I look forward to reading the second half of this graphic novel.

Week 13 - Storytelling - Rambo and the Raiders

“I think this one will work” Rambo said, putting the last wheel back on the wagon.

“I hope so” replied Laksho.

It looked old as if it had been abandoned for a couple years. The wood structure looked slightly rotted in some places but was still solid. With some minor repairs to the wheels they got it back to working order. Rambo, Sinthia, and Laksho had been traveling for days with only one horse. They were trying to avoid the raiders that roamed this region of the mountains and traveling at foot speed didn’t provide them with any advantage. They were lucky to find an abandoned wagon that was actually still working. The irony in the situation is that the wagon had probably been left behind by some travelers or merchants who had been captured or killed by the same raiders. It didn’t matter though; they hooked up their horse and got on their way.

Busted wagon wheel
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It didn’t take long for them to realize that they had in fact been spotted by a raider scout at the last pass. They were traveling for some half a day before they heard the raiders slowly catching up behind them. Their draft horse moved quite well along this rough terrain but the raiders were all on their own Quarter Horses.

“Looks like trouble,” Laksho said, seeing their followers for the first time. “It’s definitely raiders.”

You could always tell the raiders because they usually wore colored bands around their waist to help them differentiate themselves in the heat of combat. Their bright red bands stood out against the green and grey surroundings. Rambo whipped the reins and the horse picked up the pace. Laksho watched as the first raider slowly approached the wagon at full speed. He attempted to jump onto the wagon but simply misjudged the jump. His leading foot missed the wagon completely which caused him to fall forward and hit his head on the wagon. Laksho chuckled at this but Sinthia was not amused. In his desperate attempt to grab on to something, the raider somehow threw his satchel which landed in the bed of the wagon.

The situation began to escalate, however. More raiders were approaching quickly. The next raider actually made in onto the wagon. Laksho reacted quickly and pushed him off the wagon before he could get his balance. The raider pulled him along with him though and he did everything he could to grab onto the wagon and hang on. Sinthia helped pull him up and back into the wagon. Laksho wiped the sweat off his brow.

“Okay, enough of this,” Rambo said. “Laksho, take the reins.”

Laksho jumped into the front seat next to Rambo and grabbed the reins. Rambo then jumped into the bed of the wagon and found his .44 Magnum lever-action rifle. He aimed it at the next raider who barely had a chance to realize what was happening. Rambo fired the first shot with great effect, knocking the raider off of his horse completely. He repeated this; two more shots and two more dead raiders. There almost seemed like an endless supply of raiders, though, and Rambo only had three more bullets. All the while, Sinthia had found the raiderss bag in the wagon and found a stick of dynamite inside along with a flint.

“Rambo, look here,” she said, holding up the dynamite.

Rambo smiled and nodded. “Perfect!”

Laksho chuckled and whipped the reins. “It’s narrow up ahead. Get that thing ready,” he yelled.

Sinthia struggled to light the fuse but succeeded in lighting it just in time. She handed the lit dynamite to Rambo who threw it out just as the road narrowed along a cliff. This was the perfect moment to use the dynamite. They kept moving at full speed and waited. Rambo began to think that it was a dud but his thought was interrupted by one of the loudest sounds he had ever heard. The dynamite knocked enough rock loose to block the road and even hit one or two raiders. The road was clear and they carried on.

Author: Shamik Dasgupta
Artist: Jeevan Kang
Title: Ramayan 3392 AD Vol. 2: Reloaded / Tome of the Wastelands
Year: 2008

Author’s Note

This is yet another story that I decided to retell in the Western style. This original story comes from the Ramayan 3392 AD: Reloaded. It was an interesting read and I thought that this would be fun to turn into a Western. I left the plot pretty much the same, which is what I usually do. The names obviously are changed to be more Western. The background to this is nothing special. I pretty much wanted to stick to telling these stories in a Western setting for my Storybook Portfolio. The image here, as with many of the images I have used for these Western style stories, was chosen in large part because there weren’t many pictures that would suit the nature of this story while still being labeled for re-use. Still, the images works just fine with the story pretty much all taking place while traveling on a wagon. This story was actually somewhat difficult to get started in terms of creativity. This graphic novel was a very fun and interesting read but I had trouble finding a story that was, in my eyes, suitable to be changed into an action packed Western-style story. Overall, it turned out pretty good and I enjoyed writing this very much.

Week 13 - Reading Diary B

This week I am reading the second volume to Ramayan 3382 AD. It is simply titled "Ramayan 3392 AD Reloaded." This reading diary is for the second half of this graphic novel.

Ramayan 3392 AD Vol.2
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The second half of this novel really picks up the pace in terms of telling the story. Rama, Lakshman, Vishwamitra, and Seeta are traveling underground the city of Panchvati. They intended to flee when the time was right but they were captured. Rama and Lakshman are forced into gladiator style combat to please the masses. Seeta flees and meets Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra empowers Seeta to use her powers to wipe out Panchvati but ends up showing that he is actually the Asura Prime. 

One of the things I liked about this story was how Rama and Lakshman use the mob to get trick their captors into fighting them in the arena. The other thing I really liked about this story, as I mentioned in the diary covering the first half of this graphic novel, is how much better the illustrations are compared to Volume 1. 

Week 13 - Reading Diary A

This week I am reading the second volume to Ramayan 3382 AD. It is simply titled "Ramayan 3392 AD Reloaded."

Ramayan 3392 AD Vol.2
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The first half of this graphic novel essentially picks up where the first volume of leaves off. Rama an Lakshman were transported from Mithila to a junkyard where they encounter Seeta. Seeta is needed to help heal Rama from his dangerous fight with Devan-Tak. After being miraculously healed, Rama, Lakshman, and Seeta continue on in an attempt to flee capture. In the process, they end up running into Vishwamitra who helps them find safety.

I think the thing I like the most about this graphic novel are the improved illustrations compared to those in the first volume. These images show more detail and are more colorful.

Storytelling Portfolio

1. Brothers in Blood - Here is a story of how the two brothers challenge and defeat a mighty demon that has haunted the jungle for ages.

2. Billy Raven's Death - This story follows the final battle between a nefarious kidnapper and two brothers out for justice. The question is... will justice prevail?

3. Ben and His New Rifle - This story follows Ben and his brothers on a camping trip. Ben's trip changes quickly but turns out for better

4. The Lawman Riders - This story follows Kristopher and Baldrik to a bronc riding competition where they encounter corruption. What will become of them when the mayor decides he doesn't want them around?

5. No Man's Land - This story follows Lakshman wandering through the Jara Waste. Lakshman, tired and thirsty, is being followed. Are they trying to help or capture him?

6. Rambo and the Raiders - Rambo, Laksho, and Sinthia are chased down by some raiders. Check out the explosive ending to this wild ride.

Week 12 - Reading Diary B

This is covering the last section of Ramayana 3392 AD.

Ramayana: 3392 AD

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This last section covers the events that are experienced by Bahrat and Shatrugan as Kalemni is about to assume the new position of Maharaj of Armagarh. At first, it shows how Kalemni slowly gained power in Armagarh through deception and use of the Asuras. Shatrugan eventually escape and plan to stop Kalemni before he can completely gain control as the new Maharaj. They decide to split up in order to both expose the Asuras and stop Kalemni. They accomplish their mission and Bahrat assumes his role as Kind of Armagarh.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The retelling of this story in this dystopian setting is very enjoyable and I really liked the colorful and interesting illustrations. I would recommend that anyone read through this graphic novel to gain a new and different perspective of the Ramayana. 

Week 12 - Reading Diary A

This week I will be finishing up the graphic novel Ramayana 3392AD.

Ramayana: 3392 AD
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The third section starts off by completing the story about Rama traveling to and finding Mithila.  Mithila ends up being a strange place where normal physics change. Everything is underwater, so to speak, but it's as if there was no water. Rama and Lakshman defeat some of  Ravan's lead officers so he sends his own offspring to find and capture Seeta. Seeta is a living person, gifted by the earth itself. She has special abilities. While Ravan's offspring are battling Rama and Lakshman, Seeta cries out for the fightint to stop and the local plants end up swallowing and devouring Ravan's offsprings into the environment. This part of the graphic novel ends when Ravan shows up himself to destory everyone.

The second part of this third section is titled "Armagarh: Secrets from the underground." This story starts out as Mandavi and her father skulk through the deeply hidden computer vaults of Rajmahal. They end up finding that the "gods" that they were always taught to believe in were in fact computer programs created by humans from a long time ago. I'm certainly looking forward to finishing this book, it's getting pretty interesting.

Week 11 - Storytelling

This desert was inhospitable. Nomads and outlaws even avoided this place. The Jara Waste it was called. It really was a waste, a waste of time. That’s all Laksho had however. Time. After the death of his father, all he could do was keep moving. Unfortunately, the death of his father meant that numerous political factions, which had various interests in the West, would have liked to see Laksho dead. Laksho knew this. He also knew he was being followed.

“I ran out of biscuits,” he said talking to himself, stumbling through the desert. “Too bad that’s not my biggest problem right now.”

He stopped a moment to look around. “What I need is water.”

He took the only water bladder he had and opened it just like he’d done for the fourth time that day. It was still empty.

“Now why should I expect this to be any different now?” he asked himself.

Thirsty and frustrated, he threw the leather bladder down. Now that he wasn’t focused so intensely on his own thirst, he took another moment to soak in his surroundings. His ear twitched and he immediately drew his sidearm. His nickel-plated Colt Peacemaker glistened in what bit of sunlight was making it through the thick, dusty wind. Three masked men in black came riding over the hill behind him. Finally, he thought, he could end this little game of chase. He had no intentions of going back to New York to sign over his shares of the Union-Pacific railroad. The three men stopped their horses and dismounted.

“Laksho, we’re the-”

“Stop!” Laksho interrupted. “I know who you are and I know what you want.”

The leader of the group stepped towards Laksho. “The railroad just-”

“Not going to happen,” Laksho interrupted again while checking the cylinder of his revolver.

“Leave me alone or meet your maker!”

The three men looked at each other for a moment. Laksho knew what was about to happen. The railroad police were oftentimes ex-military men who got bored. Many of them took up the railroad badge because the railroad was willing to hire, let's say, men of less desirable quality. These men were willing to cheat, steal, or kidnap anyone who stood in the way of the railroad. They had one purpose here, however. Capture or kill. It was time.

Just then the wind picked up and a huge wall of dust shrouded everyone’s vision. The three railroad police split up. They knew splitting up would increase the chances of at least one of them surviving. Laksho backpedalled in order to keep all three targets in front of him. Backpedalling in sand was difficult, even for strong men. The three killers surrounded him quickly. One gained enough courage to close in on Laksho. Laksho caught him, however, and put two shots in him. He went down hard. Laksho thought it was odd how sand can still make a thud sound sometimes. The other two men took that opportunity to throw ropes around Laksho. One got around his torso, including his upper arms. The other rope wrapped up his gun hand.

The closest railroad man punched him right in the face. Laksho thought he might actually die at this moment. He probably would have simply given up at some point. Good riddance, he thought. Out of nowhere he heard a fast whizzing sound go past his head. The railroad man behind him fell to his knees. Laksho looked back to find an arrow in the man’s chest, right at his heart. The other railroad man immediately stopped and began to scan for this new threat. He took an arrow to the knee and fell down.

“Aw hell!” the man said. “This is what adventure gets me. I guess New York is-”

The next arrow hit the man right in the throat. He went down.

“I guess New York isn’t in your cards, fool!” Laksho said, though he knew the man didn’t live long enough to hear him say it.

Laksho stood up and removed the ropes from his body. A lone native dismounted his horse and approached. He was an old Apache warrior from the looks of him.

“Thanks, but I didn’t need your help,” Laksho said. 

He holstered his Colt revolver. The Apache warrior threw a single bladder of fresh water. Eyes wide open in disbelief, Laksho stumbled in the sand to catch it.

“Now this… “ Laksho opened the bladder and took a few gulps of the cool water, “ this is what I needed. What’s your name, Apache?”

“My name is Vishwa!”

Vishwa and his bow.
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Author: Deepak Chopra and Shamik Dasgupta
Artist: Abhishek Singh et al.
Title: Ramayan 3392 AD Vol. 1: Mahavinaash Age
Year: 2007

Author's Note

I've decided to return to the Western setting yet again. I seem to have the most fun writing in this style and it comes really easy. This story is a retelling of a scene in the Ramayana: 3392AD graphic novel where Lakshman is attacked by three agents who are attempting to take him. Lakshman is eventually saved by none other than Vishwamitra. The plot here follows the original story almost exactly the same. The names are changed but similar to the original. Once again the biggest changes are pretty much the plot devices and the setting that enables this story to be told in this Western style. The names are again simply very similar or modified versions of the original names. I chose to retell this particular story because it was easy to retell in this Western style, partly due to the setting of the original story is Lakshman in a desert. The image I chose here is a very simple image of an Apache warrior on horseback. I think this image fits this story very well, even though I had trouble yet again finding an image that was reusable. This story fits the purpose of my project quite well, in that it’s another Western story to go along with my others.

Week 11 - Reading Diary B

This covers the second section of Ramayana: 3392 AD.

Ramayana: 3393 AD
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Again I am really enjoying this graphic novel. This section begins with Lakshman running into an ancient seer named Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra is looking for Rama and Lakshman ends up helping Vishwamitra find him. They end up finding him far off in another land and head towards a place where rakshasas are looking for a special place.

The things that stand out to me in this graphic novel are the illustrations and the retelling of this story in the futuristic dystopian setting. The illustrations are very colorful and they constantly show the bad places showing a very contrasting color compared to Rama who represents purity and dharma. The good places tend to be green and blue and far more fitting in with Rama. The futuristic technologies and dystopian setting make this retelling gritty which I like and it fits perfectly with this story.

I’m looking forward to the second half of this book!

Week 11 - Reading Diary A

For the next two weeks I will be reading Ramayana: 3392 AD. It is a retelling of the Ramayana in a dystopian setting. A dystopia is a place that is the opposite of a utopia. It generally refers to a place where the vast majority of people are unhappy and afraid, usually because they are treated unfairly by means of oppression and control.

After reading the first of four sections, this graphic novel is living up to the expectations I had for it. I thoroughly enjoy the dystopian films that I have watched in the past such as Blade Runner, Equilibrium, and the Matrix trilogy. One of my favorite video games of all time, Half Life 2, is a dystopian story.

Ramayana: 3392 AD
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The first thing I noticed about this graphic novel are the illustrations. It shows a futuristic setting with technology and advanced architecture. The lighting, however, is dark in most of the images. It helps to show the gloominess of this world. The writing is very good too. This first section covers the Ramayana up to the point where Rama is cast out into the wilderness for 14 years.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this graphic novel.

Week 10 - Storytelling

The two great armies had finally approached each other. This star system hadn't seen this much traffic in hundreds of years. Ship after ship landed on the planet in order to drop off its load of soldiers and battle-droids. Some fighting between ships occurred in space but the numerous attack wings kept each other at bay in order for the troop transports to land without trouble. This planet was central to the system as it was a crucial re-fueling point in the sector and most traffic had to funnel through regardless, in order to bypass the numerous black holes.

Krishna had provided guidance and war-plan preparation leading up to this meeting. He knew that the Republic and the banking clans would come to war. It had been a matter of time. No amount of diplomacy, even with the Jedi council involved, could keep the banking clans from turning away from the potential profits that holding this system would bring. The Republic couldn't let this happen though. It would choke the system and some planets would suffer. Millions of lives could be affected.

Commander Yudhishthira of the Grand Republic Army walked out between the two great armies and crosses no-mans-land in order to parlay with the banking clan generals. He knew many of them and had fought alongside them in the past. He had even thought of some of them as brothers.

“What has been set into motion can  no longer be stopped. It is a shame that it has come to this but too many lives are in the balance.” Yudhishthira paused for a moment, looking around.

“I know you’re bound by eternal oath to your positions so I do not wish any ill upon you all. May you all fight and die well!”

Bhishma stood from his battle-speeder and spoke aloud for all to hear. “Yudi, I have known you for a long time. We’ve fought together more than enough for this lifetime. I wish you the best! Be strong!”

Krishna looked on at the blessings that Yudhishthira had been given before battle. He knew this would prove to be a boon for this oncoming battle. Many lives would change and end here. It was time to begin, however. Krishna drew his lightsaber and the shooting began.

The battleground was lit up by blasters and bombs for days. Soldiers from many different worlds and droids from many different manufacturers littered the battlefield. Great warriors fought with fierce dedication. Jedi and Sith met in lightsaber combat. Mandalorians were even spotted on the battlefield. Bhishma had been seen in battle numerous times, wielding his ancient vibro-staff with deadly ferocity. He was seemingly invincible. Yudhishthira knew he had to be stopped.

Bhishma's Vibro-staff
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He decided to consult with Krishna in the hopes of gaining some knowledge that would give him an edge against Bhisma. Krishna was not unaware of Bhishma’s used of the vibro-staff. It was a weapon as old as the lightsaber, designed in a more civilized time. Bhishma had to be attacked while he didn’t have his weapon for it was what gave him is incredible ability to survive.

The next day, when battle commenced, Yudhishthira set out with intentions to find Bhishma and kill him. It did not take long. Bhishma was fighting with great skill and was defeating many Republic troopers. Krishna felt that this was about to change. Yudhishthira fired his heavy blaster many times in the direction of Bhishma. He either dodged the shots or deflected them with his vibro-staff. Krishna could sense the tension in Yudhishthira’s mind. He was feeling out in the force for a weakness but his senses immediately changed.

A Republic shock-trooper had fired his kinetic rifle at Bhishma and destroyed his vibro-staff. Krishna knew that the time was now.

“Attack now, Yudi!” Krishna shouted. “His defense is down!”

Yudhishthira hesitated. “I can’t, I just can’t.”

He couldn’t bring himself to actually kill his old friend. Krishna could sense his hesitation before it even happened and decided to make a move. He drew his lightsaber and struck down Bhishma with a single heavy blow. Yudhishthira was torn. He knew that Bhishma had to be defeated but couldn’t bring himself to see his old friend struck down. It was necessary however, and Yudhishthira continued to fight with a heavy heart.

Author's Note
I decided to revisit the realm of Star Wars again with this weeks storytelling. This is a retelling of the story of Bhishma's fall from the Krishna, Defender of Dharma graphic novel that I have chosen to read for the last two weeks. I had to make a couple plot changes for the sake of brevity. The primary change is that I have Krishna killing Bhishma instead of Arjuna. This was fun to write and again came to me easily.

Author: Shweta Tanjea
Artist: Rajesh Nagulakonda

Title: Krishna: Defender of Dharma
Year: 2013

Week 10 - Reading Diary B

This reading diary covers the fourth and final section of the graphic novel Krishna, Defender of Dharma. It covers pages 102 - 151.

Krishna, Defender of Dharma

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The first story in the fourth section of this book is about the great battle of Kurukshetra. In this battle, the feud between the  Pandavas and Kauravas comes to a violent conclusion. Krishna gives aid to Yudhishthira by providing him guidance and wisdom about the coming battle. Krishna also gives guidance to Arjuna and other Pandavas in order to be successful in battle. After all of the fighting was done, the vast majority of both families had been slain in battle. One of the big things that stuck out to me about all of this was how Krishna spoke about the ideas of Dharma and Adharma. Dharma is essentially the idea that justice and righteousness will always prevail but only when people do what is necessary, even if it means doing something that doesn’t normally seem right. It makes me think of the phrase, “little evil for greater good.”

The second story in this section is about the finality of the Yadu dynasty. After the war of the Pandavas and the Kauravas was over, peace had spread all over the land. Dwarka had been affected by this as well but not in a good way. The warriors of this new peaceful era had grown lazy and arrogant and became complacent. A curse placed on Krishna set off a series of events that led to Krishna himself killing everyone while on their way to a ritual Krishna knew that the time had come for him to return to heaven and for the city of Dwarka to be reclaimed by the sea. To me, this story is about the finality of all things, even things that are good. One of the things that stuck out to me was how in peace, everyone had become arrogant and complacent. To me it shows that justice and righteousness often have to be fought for and earned.

I very much enjoyed reading this graphic novel. It provided colorful and interesting illustrations to add to everything that I was reading about the life of Krishna.

Week 10 - Reading Diary A

This reading diary covers the third of four sections from the graphic novel Krishna, Defender of Dharma. It covers pages 69 - 101.

Krishna, Defender of Dharma
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The third section covers two different stories. The first story is about how Krishna saved all of the people of Mathura from the armies of Jarasandha and Kalayavana. These two kings had decided to attack in surprise in order to overpower Krishna and take over Mathura. Krishna uses his divine powers to instantly transport all of the people from Mathura to the safe and hidden city of Dwarka. Through all of this, Krishna encounters Rukmini. She is the daughter of King Bishmaka. Rukmin, her brother, wishes for her to marry someone else. Krishna saves Rukmini from this arranged marriage and incites the rage of Rukmin and who he later defeats in combat. One of the things I really enjoyed about this story was how he was able to use his abilities to transport all of the people of Mathura to safety. It is a good illustration of his divine powers that he uses for good.

The other story covered in this section involves the Kingdom of Indraprastha. Yudhishthira was the king of Indraprastha and had requested the help of Krishna in order to properly carry out a ritual. Yudhisthira needed to be able to gain the acceptance of all of the other kingdoms before he could appropriately carry out the ritual. This would require him or someone from his kingdom of Indraprastha to defeat Jarasandha in single combat. Bheema, Arjuna, and Krishna set out to challenge Jarasandha and Bheema eventually defeats him after fighting for almost a whole month. This story helped show how wise Krishna is as well as how everyone, even the Pandavas, would seek out his guidance in their affairs.

Overall, I’m thoroughly enjoying this graphic novel. I’m looking forward to reading the last of the four sections of this book.

Week 9 - Storytelling - Reap What You Sow

This town wasn’t big enough for everyone but mayor Johnny Kansas at least thought it was. He wanted everyone to come see his famous city. Mathuson, he said, was the crown jewel of the frontier. To prove it he invited all the famous bronc riders, cow pushers, ropers, and gunslingers to help spread the word. Mr. Kansas, who was not all sunshine and rainbows, had his own past. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t even cloudy. It was dirtier than mud. He had left a trail of blood during his younger years while gaining power and political clout. He was mayor now and that made him think that he was bulletproof.

Among the many talented men and women that had decided to take part in the various planned competitions were two brothers named Kristopher and Baldrik. They were there to make a name for themselves. Along side them both were their horses. These were good men with strong minds and clean hearts. They had experienced quite a rough upbringing but had typically lived in peace. They knew of the real Johnny Kansas and his real desires. Having just arrived in town, they decided to take a look around town.

After a couple hours looking around town, they happened upon one of the many stables strewn about the city. This was no ordinary stable though; stabled there was a world famous bronco named Tundra. No rider had ever conquered this bronc and all the talent in town wasn’t enough to beat it. Kristopher knew what was up though. He’d wrangled, wrestled, and tossed about with the best of them. He was going to make a name for himself, right now.

Baldrik watched Kristopher walk right over to Tundra.

“What are you doing?” asked Baldrik. “Nobody has ever ridden that horse.”

“Time for a change then, eh?” Kristopher responded.

A crowd already present took notice and the talk and chatter picked up. Kristopher walked right up to Tundra and began to look him over. A few voices rang out from the crowd.

“Yeah right!”

“This guy is plumb crazy.”

“He’s going to get himself killed.”

Kristopher silenced them all when he jumped on and broke that horse in a matter of minutes. The crowd erupted in cheers and chants. This drew the attention of Mayor Kansas. He arrived and saw Kristopher riding Tundra like he was a long broken and well-mannered workhorse. He couldn’t believe it. He was furious!

Kristopher conquering Tundra
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Later that day he invited Kristopher and his brother to attend a competition. It was a roping competition. Various teams were selected to see how fast they could chase down and rope a young calf. Mayor Kansas, however, meant for this to be a trap. The three other teams that Kristopher and Baldrick had to compete against began to chase them down in an attempt to rope them and kill them. The brothers were too swift! Every rope missed. Kansas’ men grew frustrated and drew their weapons. Each flipped out their twin Colt revolvers, moving with nearly identical speed and motions.This was an unfair fight though. The two brothers had put two bullets into each of the assassins before they could even get off shots of their own. Mayor Kansas couldn’t believe his eyes. His veins bulged and he spit as he yelled out.

“Whoever kills these two vermin get a thousand dollars!”

Kristopher whistled to his trusty horse and up they went into the grandstands. Baldrick fought off other hired men and outlaws.

Kristopher drew down on Johnny Kansas and said, “Your bloody trail ends here.”

Kansas drew his rifle but was far too slow for Kristopher. He was dead in a split second. This event was Kristopher's first step in becoming a legend in the Western frontier. His renown spread like wildfire and he gained the admiration of many downtrodden people for defeating Johnny Kansas.

Author’s Note

This is a retelling of a story from Krishna, Defender of Dharma. In this story, Krishna goes to the city of Mathura where Kansa is holding a competition. The brothers enter into the competition and defeat a number of men before killing Kansa and fulfilling a prophesy. I decided to retell this story in a Western style again because I’ve had a lot of fun with this style and it comes naturally to me. The plot is pretty much the same form the original story apart from name changes to fit into the Western theme. The plot follows the original story from the two brothers going to the town for a competition, the outlaws being hired by mayor Kansas to kill the brothers, and then the brothers killing the mayor. The background for this story pretty much only came from the need to change it into a Western. The image I chose was difficult to find but it works. Of the few that would have been acceptable, this one was really the only image that actually looks like it could have been from the era. My overall goal was to experiment with retelling these stories in a Western setting. So far, my Western stories work well as “Americanized” versions of the stories.

Author: Shweta Tanjea
Artist: Rajesh Nagulakonda

Title: Krishna: Defender of Dharma
Year: 2013

Week 9 - Reading Diary B

This reading diary is covering the second section of Krishna, Defender of Dharma. It covers pages 37 - 68.



Krishna, Defender of Dharma
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Immediately, one of the things that stood out to me was right on the first page of the second section. Young Krishna's mother saw that he was chewing on something. When she looked into his mouth she saw the universe. This stuck out to me because it helps to illustrate that Krishna is no ordinary boy. Most of this second section is about Krishna's exploits during his adolescence while living in Vrinadavan. He and his brother Balarama are constantly attacked by Kansa's assassins but they come out victorious every single time. Eventually, the two brothers go to a wrestling competition in Mathura and because very famous. In doing so they gain the attention of Kansa who calls them out and challenges them. Krishna uses this moment to strike out at Kansa and kill him, fulfilling a prophesy about his death. Krishna and Balarama end up being deified because of this.

I enjoyed this section as it details Krishna's exploits and victories of evil. I look forward to reading the second half of this graphic novel.

Week 9 - Reading Diary A

I will be reading Krishna, Defender of Dharma for the next two weeks. This is a graphic novel written by Shweta Taneja and illustrated by Rajesh Nagulakonda.

Krishna, Defender of Dharma
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Section 1 - Pages 1-36

This is a very neat and interesting graphic novel. I like how the illustrations show more detail to add to what I'm reading on the page. This first section shows how Indra called on the help of Vishnu in order to bring peace back to the land. It also shows the origin of Vishnu's avatar Krishna. Kansa however was aware of his own demise and set out to have Krishna killed before he could grow up. He does this by sending out demons to kill all of the newborns in the village of Gokul. The end of this section shows where the villagers of Gokul decide to move to a more peaceful area in order to escape the obvious threat to Krishna and everyone else around.

Overall i'm enjoying this graphic novel so far. The writing is easy to follow and the illustrations are very colorful and detailed.

Reading Plan

I have to decided to branch out and cover a range of topics for the next six weeks. I am first going to start out with the graphic novel Taneja. Krishna. This looks like it will be interesting. I have yet to read any of the Indian literature in graphic novel form  and I look forward to learning more about Krishna's exploits. This first topic will cover 2 weeks.

The following two weeks I will read Chopra. Ramayan 3392 AD Vol. 1. This is also a graphic novel. This is a retelling of the Ramayana in a future dystopian setting. I've always enjoyed reading and even video games that take place in a dystopian setting so this should be interesting.

At this point I'm left with two more weeks worth of reading. I'm not quite sure what I will do but I may end up doing a couple more of the one week graphic novels or perhaps some of the free online reading.

There are so many options!!!
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Reflections: Looking Forward

Writing
I'm definitely looking forward to doing some more writing and creating some interesting and fun stories. I think my project will turn out pretty well. I'm looking forward to updating that and polishing some of my stories there. I'm also excited to find some fun and interesting stories and projects from other students.

Reading
Hanuman has stuck out to me the most but I will happily take on a new favorite character if they can leave a strong impression. I'm ready to continue reading as well and perhaps improve on some reading habits.

Interactions
I've always enjoyed online courses and this one, once completed, should be no different. I'm have a great time interacting with others and look forward to interact with those that I have not yet had the chance with yet.

Time
This is probably where I could make the most improvement for this course. Like I said in my "looking back" post, I am in fact struggling a little bit with making time to complete some of the assignments. I'll attempt to change a few habits that can enable me to find the little bit of extra time I need to complete the assignments with a little more expediency.

Location
I don't plan on changing my location but will consider it if it will allow me that little bit of extra time I need.


All in all, I've enjoy the first half of this class and I am excited to work through the other half , and finally get my degree!!!!

This is one of my favorite motivation quotes.
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Reflections: Looking Back

Writing
So far I am very happy with a couple of my storytelling posts. I had fun writing them and enjoyed the creative process of learning and changing details while still keeping the spirit of the original stories. Brothers In Blood is one of those stories. It's a retelling of how Rama and Lakshmana fought and killed Thataka. This was fun to write because I changed all of the characters from the Ramayana into animals. I'm probably most happy with my story of Billy Raven's Death. This story was also from the Ramayana but about Ravana's death. Incorporating some of the ideas and themes from old western films was very fun and entertaining and the outcome, in my opinion, is pretty good.

I have very much enjoyed reading some of the stories from the other students. They come up with ideas that I would have never thought of in a hundred years. This is good though because it helps my own creative process and helps me come up with better ideas.

Reading
My favorite reading so far is still from the Ramayana. The story of Hanuman's leap was very exciting to read. The description of Hanuman in the forest, making noise and basically pumping himself up for his task. The text and storytelling was eloquent and very effective. The feeling I got was far more than just the sum of the words on the page. It was very fun to read! I definitely find that I like reading about the combat from these books but the story about Hanuman's Leap still stands out to me as my favorite.

Hanuman and the Rakshasi

Interactions
I have taken several online courses before and enjoy taking them. This course is no exception. Interacting with the other students is actually quite easy to do thanks to the system of blogs that is used for all of the coursework. It makes it very easy to find, read, and comment on the work of other students.

Time
I actually have a difficult time finding time for this class. While I am only taking this one class to fulfill my last 3 hours for my degree, I'm still trying to balance this with working a full time job and life in general. I don't necessarily have a block of time set aside. I keep up with what I have to take care of on most days and complete the assignments as they're due. I have not changed any of my scheduling for the workload of this course but I'm definitely considering it since I do struggle to complete assignments on occasion.

Location
 I typically do the reading and other assignments on my desktop at home. I'm fairly happy with the space I do my work in; I'd certainly hope so since this is where I live!

Growth Mindset
I haven't been doing any of the growth mindset challenges. This class has been a pretty good opportunity to practice the mindset habits though. As I said in my original Growth Mindset post, this is a strategy that I have kind of discovered on my own over the last decade or so. I enjoy being able to learn, especially if it comes from any sort of failure. I like to know that I can still be challenged.

Week 7 Storytelling

Anti-Sith Deception

Bhima had lost his son. It was usually not acceptable for Jedi to fall in love and even think about having children. The Imperial order that had been enacted years before placed any remaining Jedi in tough times. The Pandavas were fortunate enough to already have a family before becoming Jedi, which was abnormal in itself. This had allowed them to remain undetected for a very long time.

Bhima’s mate, while not a Jedi, was still a force-sensitive. Their son named Ghatotkacha had been slain in battle by the sith Karna. He was highly skilled with a lightsaber but had been simply overwhelmed in battle. Bhima had been beside himself and struggled to suppress the negative emotions that were typically associated with the sith. He decided to focus his anger into more positive emotions. He came up with a plan to use deception, which is usually a sith tactic, against them. Fight fire with fire, he thought.

Bhima

 

It was known that Drona, an older but powerful sith, had a special connection to his own son Ashwatthaman. There was a legend that Drona’s connection with his son was so strong that Drona could not be defeated as long as his son was still alive. Bhima’s plan was to trick Drona into believing that his own son was dead. This was no easy task. In order to make Drona believe the deception, they named an Eopie after Drona’s son. They then slaughtered this Eopie. Now Yudhishthira was known to be a very pure Jedi, strong in heart and mind. He was even known to the Sith as being so pure in the Jedi path of light that he was incapable of telling lies.

Rumor had been spread across the battlefield that Drona’s son had been slain. Drona couldn’t believe the words he had heard but didn’t ignore them completely. After many days of combat he was weary enough that he was unable to feel the connection with his son but this wasn’t uncommon. In order to confirm the rumor he called out to Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira confirmed that Ashwatthaman had in fact been slain. Drona’s heart sank.

Drona retreated in despair. His mind was so clouded that the thought of lightsaber combat seemed like it would drain him in seconds. His mind was weary and he needed to recuperate. He fell back to his own special commando unit and gave them orders to set out and attack some known targets. This was a huge oversight caused by his inability to think clearly. He left himself defenseless. Once his imperial commando unit had left him defenseless he was discovered by renowned Rebel general named Dhrishtadyumna. He snuck up on Drona, drew his vibroblade and swung it in the same motion. The general’s aim was true and he struck his target with great power and speed. The head of Drona was severed clean with little effort.

The general carried Drona’s head to the closest imperial command camp and threw it in amidst the staff and combatants that were there. Immediately distraught at such a sight, nearly all imperial combatants began to flee.

Title: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Author: Sister Nivedita
Year: 1913

Author’s Note
For this story I wanted to retell the deception carried out in the story of the Death of Drona. I liked how the Pandavas decided to fight fire with fire and it worked out well. I decided to retell this story in a Star Wars setting again because I really enjoyed doing it was my last storytelling post.

Week 7 Reading Diary A

63. Abhimanyu and Jayadratha
Once again this is a story that I found interesting because it was filled with combat. While it is a saddening account, I liked the detail and description of the passing of Abhimanyu. I also liked how hearing of Arjuna’s vow for vengeance made Jayadratha tremble with fear. It was as if he immediately knew that it was a terrible thing that Arjuna would be thirsty and vengeful. The account of Arjuna’s search for Jayadratha was also full of excitement because he did not relent until he found his target.

64. Ghatotkacha
This story is about the fall of the Rakshasa son of Bhima. The description of the battlefield in this story makes it sound absolutely dreadful; the darkness, the confusion, the blood stained field. These things really paint a picture of an epic battle. The son of Bhima, Ghatotkacha, was in the midst of battle and slayed many Kaurava warriors but eventually fought and fell at the hands of Karna. Karna did however have to use his special celestial dart gifted to him by Indra.

65. Death of Drona
I’m really enjoying this part of the Mahabharata. This story picks up where Bhima now wants revenge for the death of his son. I liked how they resorted to trickery in order to bring Drona into a mindset of despair and sadness. They tricked him into thinking that his son had been slain. After hearing of the news the was nearly beside himself in despair and a great Pandava general was able to slay him.

The Death of Drona